Winter Break
by hebrewhernia
Summary: Wow. CHAPTER 14: STUFF HAPPENS! VAL IS QUIET! JAMIE IS YELLED AT! CAITIE GETS ALL GIRL POWER-Y! HANK.... hey, what does happen to Hank? WHO CARES! READ! If you read without reviewing... you won't read it ever again. 65 reviews or bust!
1. The Walk

Untitled 

Untitled 

Author's Note: I couldn't think of a decent title for this. The next chapter will come soon, hopefully. It's set in December, even though right now is the middle of June. I'm just weird. J All curses are bleeped or !@#$%^&*() or changed for your viewing pleasures. J _Thoughts are in italics cause I figured out HTML formatting yay!! _Sorry I had to end it suddenly, but word is being a pain! 

Val sneezed. _Great, it's the first day of winter break and another !@#$%^&*() cold! _She thought. _Oh, well, only an hour until I go to Tyler's with Jamie, Caitie, and Hank to watch movies. _

Val was curled up on the couch watching TV. She blew her nose and sighed. She drifted off to sleep….

********** 57 minutes later***********

_Dang! _Val thought as she woke up and looked at the clock. _I have 3 minutes until I have to be at Tyler's and I look like a mess! @#$%^&*()_ She quickly ran a brush through her hair, made sure she looked presentable, and dashed out the door, zipping her fluffy purple winter coat as she went. 

Ducking her head to avoid the sleet that started the moment she went out the door, she ran into someone. 

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she said as she looked up. "Tyler?"

"Oh, Val! You're okay!" he said, confusing her even more. 

"What are you doing?" she asked in an effort to become not confused.

"Well, everyone's already at my house, so I decided to come see if you're alright." he said.

"Awww! Tyler, that's so sweet!" Val squealed. 

In one magical moment, the sleet turned to fluffy white gorgeous snow and Tyler hugged Val and they spun around and kissed. Then they hurried off to Tyler's house.

They burst in the front door of Tyler's house. Hank, Catie, and Jamie all had identical looks on their faces- "It's about time!" But even their friends' highly annoyed looks couldn't dampen their now high spirits. 

Catie, being Val's best friend, knew that something was up, but what it was remained a mystery. "I have to go to the bathroom. Where is it, Tyler?" She asked. 

"Down the hallway second door on your left." Tyler said.

"Val, come on, I think you have to go too." Catie said.

"I don't think I do." said Val.

"Well I do. Come on!" said Catie insistently, then she grabbed Val's arm and yanked her off the floor. But she sent one last look at Tyler before being yanked out of the room against her will.

Once they reached the bathroom, Catie said, "What's that all about?" 

"What's what all about?" Val asked, quite confused. 

"The looks, the fact that you are unusually perky today, even for a cheerleader on winter break." Catie said.

"We kissed." Val said.

"WHAT?!?" Catie asked.

"You heard me. When Tyler came to get me, we ended up meeting halfway. We kissed. I swear the sleet turned to snow for a minute while we kissed." Val said, her eyes shining. 

Catie put a hand to her forehead. "OOOH, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. I can't believe that you two finally worked up the nerve to just do it. Oh, my gosh." 

"Can we go yet?" Val asked. They left. 


	2. The Movie

Untitled- Chapter 2

Untitled- Chapter 2 

Author's note: Here it is! R&R please. The first part was a whole lot better, but oh well. I am so mad at spell checker because it doesn't recognize Catie's name. 

Note To Aricraze: Thanks for reviewing. They're going to _watch movies_, not eat. But there will be popcorn involvedJ

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

At the same time….

"What was that all about?" A stupefied Tyler asked Jamie and Hank.

"It's a girl thing." Jamie said. "Catie does it all the time, dragging one of our friends from the bleachers to 'pick up forgotten purses' when they're both carrying theirs or whatever. I figure it must be girl talk." Jamie put the first video in the VCR. 

A whine of "Can we leave yet?" drifted from down the hall as Jamie hit play and fast-forwarded through the previews.

Tyler went to get popcorn and came back carrying a huge bowl right when the girls did. 

Val settled down right smack next to Tyler on the couch, and when he thought (key word: thought) no one was looking, he slid his arm around Val's shoulder. 

The first movie was "Bring It On," and when the cheerleaders all came on singing, "I'm sexy, I'm cute, I'm popular to boot," etc., Catie threw a handful of popcorn at the screen. 

"Hey! I have to clean that up, you know!" exclaimed an annoyed Tyler. Catie turned back to him and giggled. At what, Tyler wasn't sure. 

"…The boys all love to stare!" the girls on-screen chanted.

"Idiots!" Catie muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!" Val said. 

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

An hour and a half later found Val half-asleep leaning on Tyler's shoulder, Catie and Jamie sprawled side-by-side on the floor, Hank in a chair, and the movie over. 

"Tired?" Tyler whispered to Val.

"A little," she admitted, and sniffled. 

Meanwhile, Jamie whispered to Catie, "Need a ride? I have my motorcycle, and I noticed you walked." 

"Okay, thanks," Catie whispered and smiled. 

"Bye, Tyler, Val, Catie, and Jamie, I have to go now. Bye!" Said Hank.

"Bye Hank!" they chorused. 

Catie and Jamie got up, said, "Bye Tyler and Val," grabbed their coats, and left together. 

A/N: I'm ending it here because the border things in Word are being really annoying. There are going to be 2 or 3 more chapters. I'm going to have what happens with Catie and Jamie, and what happens with Val and Tyler, and possibly girl talk the next day or something. I don't know, it depends on what you want. So review and tell me! 


	3. Leaving- Val and Tyler

Chapter Four- Val and Tyler

Chapter Four- Val and Tyler 

A/N: Sorry to keep changing the font J I just figured out html formatting so I'm playing with the fonts. Everything else I posted is Tahoma, no italics. LJReview please. There is definitely one more chapter, possibly more. :- D __When their thoughts argue, one is **bold**. 

_ _

_Oh, boy. I guess I should walk her home…oh, boy. Let's hope I don't mess this up too bad. Repeat it: I will not mess this up, I will not mess this up, I will not mess this up, I will no-, _Tyler thought 

_ _

"Tyler? Earth to Tyler? Come in, Tyler? Are you awake in there? Hello?" Val asked somewhat impatiently. Tyler could feel his face turn bright red. 

"I'll walk you home, I mean, if you want me to," Tyler stuttered. _So much for not messing that up. Think positive: I will not mess this up I will not mess this up I will not mess this up I will not mess this up I will not mess this up, _Tyler thought.

_ _

_What's he all upset about? Is he okay? I'd love to have him walk me home! I love him, period. Oh, no, oh, no… awkward city… I just admitted it to myself… wait with that kiss earlier we admitted it to each other, why'm I nervous? _Val thought. 

_ _

_Why's she taking so long to respond? Is she trying to figure out how to say no? Was that kiss earlier, oh I don't know, fake? Or did she mean it? **Of course she meant it, Val wouldn't do something like that!** Really? **Really! **Okay…_Tyler thought.

_ _

"Oh, yeah Tyler I'd love for you to walk me home." _Oy, bad choice of words. **No s*** sherlock. **_Val argued with herself.

**_ _**

"Okay, I'll go grab your coat." Tyler said uncertainly. _That's it Tyler, just be a gentleman_, Tyler thought. 

"Thanks."_Awww…that's so nice, _Val thought

_ _

Tyler returned with her coat. She put it on and they walked out the door, hand in hand. 

"So, Tyler, what did that kiss mean earlier?" Val regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. _Oops. That was the absolute wrong thing to say. **Not to be redundant, but no s*** sherlock. **_

"It meant that I love you and I've just been to shy to tell you." Tyler said without hesitating. _Yeah, that's it just play it smooth. _

_ _

_Oh, wow. Wow,wow,wow.He likes me, he really likes me! **And you call Catie a drama queen! **No comments from the peanut gallery, please. _Val thought. 

_ _

Out, loud, Val said, softly, "Oh my gosh." Then, louder, "Yeah, me too. I just…oh wow. Thank goodness. I was afraid…I was afraid you didn't like me, that's why I didn't tell you." 

They were both startled to realize that they had reached Val's house._Play it smooth, Tyler, _he started to think, when he realized that Val was already kissing him, so he kissed back. 

"Thanks for walking me home.See you tomorrow, Tyler. You have my number. Call me," Val said and went inside. 

She practically floated into her room. She slept peacefully, dreaming of Tyler. 

_ _


	4. Leaving- Jamie and Catie

Chapter 3- Jamie and Catie 

Chapter 3- Jamie and Catie 

Author's Note: Sorry the last chapter was so short. There is no longer bleeping. Yes, Ivy Leaves, I will have 'emotional distress' in this chapter. Jamie and Catie are so very perfect for 'emotional distress'!

::Momo smiles at the thought of sap and emotional distress J :: _Thoughts are italics _Right now I'm going through emotional distress because FF.Net won't let me upload this. Some BS about it's not html even though I saved it as html. Sorry this took so long.Darned FF.Net! L

Jamie and Catie grabbed their coats, said goodbye to everybody, and left together. 

Jamie grabbed the spare helmet and fastened it on Catie's head for her, sending a shiver up her spine; then he grabbed his own helmet, put it on, and sat down. Catie put her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his back. 

_Gosh, I really like him, don't I?__ But does he like me too? Should I tell him? Or would that ruin our friendship? I know! I'll ask Val! But she'll tease me… Catie thought. _

_ _

Catie's so sweet…it's so nice like this…BACK UP! SWEET? Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no, no! I cannot be falling for my best friend…oh well, it looks like I already have. I can't tell her, that'll ruin our friendship…But I have to tell her! I can't just pretend I don't! I could talk to Val, Val can keep a secret, and she'd know if Catie liked me… Jamie thought. 

Do I tell him? Does he like me? Should I talk to Val? Will he kiss me goodnight? I mean, if he likes me… I'll tell him. I have to tell him. Catie thought. 

Do I tell her? Does she like me? Would Val help me with this? There's no time. I'll tell her. I have to tell Catie. Oh! We're here. Jamie thought. 

And then they were at Catie's house. Catie, then Jamie hopped off. "I'll walk you up," he offered. 

"Okay." said Catie.

When they got to the front door, he said, "See you tomorrow, maybe?" he asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Catie said. Is he asking me out on a date? No… Catie wondered. 

I just asked her out on a date, didn't I? No…she doesn't think so…does she? Jamie thought. 

Jamie kissed Catie on the cheekbefore walking back down to the motorcycle, fastening his helmet, and driving away. 

What was that about? What did I do that for? Oh, she's going to hate me now… Wait! Wasn't she smiling when I left? Or was that an evil—I'm-going-to-get-you angry smirk? Oh, but that was nice… I have to talk to Val now… Jamie thought worriedly. 

Wow. That was sweet. I guess he likes me. Why else would he do that? I definitely need to talk to Val. I really really really need to talk to Val. Catie thought anxiously. 

Catie walked, no, more like floated into the house, muttering something about becoming a boy-crazy blond bimbo, as Jamie drove away. 

_A/N: I'm ending the chapter here so I can have lots of 'emotional distress'. __J Review please.Now, there's probably going to be many more chapters because of all the little things I left open…now I'm going to work on Tyler and Val._


	5. Talking and Singing

Chapter 5- Talking

Chapter 5- Talking 

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Okay, I got like 5. Thanks for the reviews, Ivy Leaves, Aricraze, and Scarlet182. Of course, I just put up chapters 3 and 4, which got messed up because of FF.Net. Review please!

Disclaimer: Gosh, I hate these things. This goes for the whole fic. I don't own the characters or the song/s. 

Val woke up to the sound of the phone ringing at 9:17 in the morning and winter sunlight in her eyes. 

"VAL! CATIE'S ON THE PHONE!" someone yelled from the kitchen. Val stumbled in and took the phone back to her room.

"Hi Catie," Val said, still half-asleep. "You do realize that you woke me up out of a very nice dream?" 

"Val, we have to talk. I have to tell you what happened last night. I don't want to tell you over the phone." Catie said excitedly.

Val noted the uncharacteristic excitedness and said, "Okay, come over now, later, whenever." 

"I'm coming now! See you!" Catie said.

Val showered and put on normal clothes and was finishing her bowl of cereal as Catie got to her house. 

Catie pushed Val and her cereal into her room and locked the door. Through a mouthful of cereal Val said, "Okay, Catie, spill. What happened?" 

"Well," she began, eyes sparkling in a very un-Catie-like way, "He offered to give me a ride home on his motorcycle, and I accepted. It was so wonderful. And I just sat there, arms around his waist, my head buried in his back. And then we were at my house, and I thanked him, and he said he'd see me tomorrow, and I don't know if he meant a date or not." Before Val could say anything, Catie said, "But that's not the best part. He kissed me on the cheek." Catie sighed, again, a very un-Catie gesture. "So I don't know? Did he mean a date? He hasn't called yet. Or at least he hadn't when I left. I have to tell him how I feel. Maybe it was just a friendly kiss. How do I tell him, only tactfully?" Catie asked. "And what happened with you and Tyler anyway?"

"Catie, it's like we traded roles. He walked me home, and then I kissed him, so he kissed back. Then I thanked him for walking me and said, 'You have my number, Tyler. Call me.' And then I went inside." Catie giggled. 

"About Jamie?" Catie prompted.

"Hmmm… it seems like he likes you. I think you should tell him, like in a note or something. No, wait. That's more something I would do. What would you do?" Val asked thoughtfully.

"Well, sometimes, I just wanna kiss him really hard on the lips and say, 'I love you Jamie. Remember that.'" Catie said mischieviously.

"Then do it." Val said. "It should be something you'd do." she insisted.

"But what if he doesn't like me?" Catie asked. 

"If you wanna know, if he loves you so, it's in his kiss, that's where it is!" Val sang.

"WHAT?" Catie asked. 

"I saw the music video for it when I was sick once. It's an old song by Cher. Haven't you heard it before?" Val said.

"Actually yeah. Is it the way he acts?" Catie sang.

"Oh no, that's not the way! You're not listening to all I say! If you wanna know, if he loves you so, it's in his kiss," Val sang.

"That's where it is!" Catie sang back. 

"Is it in his eyes?"Val sang.

But instead of singing the song, Catie said, "No, you dummy!" The girls collapsed in giggles.

"Did you hear that?" Catie said. "It sounded like a motorcycle."

"Nah! Must have been your imagination. Too much Jamie on the brain." Val said teasingly. "So, what are you going to do about Jamie?" Val inquired.

"Tell him. It's in his kiss, I can tell." Catie said. "What about Tyler?" Catie asked. 

"I'll talk to him at the station. I have to be there in…" she checked her watch, "Oh my gosh like 20 minutes! I'm sorry Catie but you have to go now." She frowned. "See you."

"Bye," said Catie.


	6. At The Station

Chapter 6- At The Station

Chapter 6- At The Station 

Author's Note: Probably going to be weird. Y'know, I've only gotten reviews from 4 people, and I have 6 reviews. Thanks Aricraze, Ivy Leaves, Scarlet182, and twirlgirl04 for reviewing the first 5 chapters. Hopefully I'll get more reviews (*hint hint to all guilty parties who have read without reviewing. I may not write any more if you don't review*) **_I JUST THOUGHT OF A TITLE!!!! _**This fic is called "Winter Break" and will chronicle the whole week-and-a-half that the IaHB characters have off of school, from 'yesterday' to New Years' and a few days after that. I'm glad it's not ending and I hope you are too. I have some plot twists in store- hopefully. 

Val quickly changed into her EMT uniform and jogged over to the station.

"Val, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, sure what's up?" Val asked, confused.

"Well, I, um…Promise you won't tell?" Jamie stuttered.

"YEAH!" Val said.

"Are you sure?" Jamie asked.

"Yes." Val said.

"Okay, IlikeCatie." Jamie said all in one breath. Somehow Val understood, because her face lit up.

"Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. What did you want to know?" Val said happily.

"DoesCatielikemetoo?" Jamie asked quickly, afraid of the answer.

"Yes. She is absolutely totally completely hyperactively head over heels for you." Val said.

Jamie rubbed his ear. "Excuse me? I thought I heard you say that Catie liked me."

"I did."

"Oh my gosh. What do I do?"

"Tell her. Call her. According to her, something you said last night has her anxious to know if you called."

"Okay, I'll do that." Jamie said.

They went back into the common room in time to see Tyler come in from the other side of the common room. 

"Hey, Val." He said. "We should talk."

"Yeah." Val said, and walked over to the couch as Tyler did the same.

He slid his arm around her as Hank coughed, muttered something about Brooke and inventory, and bolted to the door. Jamie muttered something about lovebirds, mini-overachievers, and dirty ambulances and also left (Val suspected that he was going to call Catie). Tyler smiled and Val giggled. 

"Val, I really like you. As in, that is the Understatement of the Century." Tyler started. 

Val sneezed. 

"Bless you," Tyler said as he handed her the tissue box. "Are you getting a cold?" he asked, instantly worried.

"I think I already have one." Val said and smiled.

"So," Tyler continued, "Do you want to go to dinner with me on Tuesday?"Today was Sunday, their first day actually off would be Monday, and the movies at Tyler's had been Saturday.

"Sure! Where?" Val said excitedly.

"It's a surprise. I'll pick you up at 7." Tyler said, a glint in his eye. Then the alarm sounded, breaking them out of their thoughts.

************

They got back from the call with an hour still left in their shift. Val immediately sprawled out on the couch with the little homework they received over winter break. Of course, the majority of it was math. 

"Hey, Tyler! Come help with my math homework?" Val asked.

"You overachievers. Doing your homework on the second freaking day of winter break!" That was Jamie, of course.

"Sure, Val," Tyler said, ignoring Jamie. 

By the time she had opened her book to the right page, the alarm sounded and the math book lay open and forgotten. It stayed that way for much longer than anyone would have thought.

A/N: Okay, with that last sentence, you all probably think I'm wacko, but that is a clue to what happens next, just not a very good one. But Aricraze knows I'm perfectly okay… maybe not perfectly. It's okay. You'll find out in the next chapter. But until I get 12 reviews for 6 chapters- which is like 2 a chapter, I'll post the next part. I have 7 already. REVIEW!!!!!! 


	7. Uh-Oh! I can't think of a title!

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

A/N: Ummm. Weird chapter. The next chapter will be all major Val/Tyler sap.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters but I sure wish I did! 3 Shawn Ashmore 3 

Ivy Leaves- Has there been enough 'emotional distress' yet?

Aricraze- This is the thing I was telling you about. 

Scarlet182- Thanks for all the reviews. FF.Net is being stupid again. I have a love/hate relationship with FF.Net, and right now you could say that we're at the 'hate' part. J I have a habit of reviewing at the end of the story if it's all up- that's what I'm doing with your NOEbY series. J

Everyone else- thanks for the reviews I know you will write (hint hint) 

The alarm sounded, so Val, Tyler, Hank and Jamie got in the ambulance and left.

Add one more person to the list of dozens they'd helped or even saved. 

Or don't. 

The EMT's never made it to help whomever it was who needed help. The EMT's ended up needing help themselves. 

At an intersection, a drunk driver ran a red light and hit the ambulance in the side. Val took most of the impact.

Hank calmly- well, as calmly as one could be in those circumstances- put in a call to the station explaining what happened and reminding them that the original call still had to be taken care of.

Hank and the others, after making sure that they were uninjured, checked over Val and the passengers of the other car. 

The people in the other car were fine. Val, they weren't sure about. Her left leg appeared to be injured, but they couldn't tell how badly. 

Just then, more EMT's arrived to help. 

*****************

20 minutes later found Tyler pacing, back, forth, back, forth, like a caged tiger. Hank leaned against a counter, eyes showing worry.Jamie was sprawled in a chair, but looked around anxiously, for Caitie, who he had called a few minutes ago, or a doctor to tell him what was going on. Brooke had just showed up and was pacing behind Tyler, and every few seconds he'd turn around and say, "Back off!/I need space/Go away," so Brooke would pace elsewhere, but eventually drift back to directly behind Tyler. 

After about the tenth time that happened, Caitie arrived. Her face was tear-streaked and she looked miserable. She immediately sat down in the chair and Jamie immediately put his arm around her. She made a little half-smile and asked, "What was that for?" 

"I really like you. Do you want to go on a date, like, Wednesday? I mean, if Val's better." Jamie said. '_That's right Waite, just be straightforward' _he thought.

"I would love to." Caitie replied. 

Tyler yelled at Brooke an eleventh time. Brooke sat down and started biting her fingernails, starting with her left thumbnail.

Author's note: I ended it here because the only other place to end it would have been after all the Tyler/Val sap and it would have taken longer to write and T/V sap deserves a whole chapter all to itself! J


	8. Breathing

Chapter 8- Breathing

Chapter 8- Breathing 

A/N: Chapter 8 already. Wow. This is for Scarlet182. 

Disclaimer- I don't own Val or Tyler- they belong to Disney or whoever. I don't own the totally completely awesomely good song "Breathing" which is featured in this fic. It belongs to Lifehouse, the band that performs it, or the record label I guess. Now, if I owned Lifehouse, I could own the song, and I'd hear it everyday live instead of on my CD burned off of my friend Scott's copy of it. (Thank you Scott I owe you for life). But that's beside the point…. now on with the fic!!!!!

Brooke was biting her left middle finger when the doctor came into the waiting room, which did not look good to the doctor. Brooke promptly took her finger out of her mouth.

"How is she? How's Val? Can I see her? Is she okay? Answer me!" Exclaimed Tyler- anxiety had made him hyper. 

"Due to the thick metal outside of the ambulance, she only has a few cracked ribs, nothing all that serious. However, she will have to stay in the hospital overnight. And, yes you can see her. She's in room 156." The doctor said with a smile.

"Me first me first me first!" Tyler exclaimed like a hyper 3 year old. Then, without waiting for an answer, he dashed down the hall to room 156.

"That was Valerie's boyfriend, wasn't it?" the doctor asked the teens. 

"Oh, yeah." said Hank with a nod.

*********

Tyler opened the door quietly, in contrast to his loud behavior just moments before. 

Val looked relatively normal. She had a few small cuts and bruises, but all in all looked like the same old Val, except shocked, worn out, and very glad that Tyler was the first to see her.

"Hey, how are you?" Val asked. That was just Val, concerned about others and not herself. 

"Just hanging by a moment here with you," Tyler sang to himself, then said to Val, "Shouldn't I be the one asking that question? I'm fine, but I could be better. I'd be a lot better if you weren't in the hospital because of a car accident." 

"You know what, I'm going to want to spend a fair amount of time with you, and everyone else wants to see me, and I'm pretty tired, so why don't you let everyone else have a turn, then you can come back until I fall asleep?" asked Val.

"Um, okay, I guess that'll work." Tyler said. He left.

Tyler sent everyone else back in. He went back to pacing, but his heart just wasn't in it.

FINALLY everyone else talked to Val, and Tyler went in to find her half asleep. 

"Hey, Val." he said softly.

"Hey, Tyler. I'm sorry. I'm really tired. All that talking, and the shock… I cried, and that takes a lot out of me… Could you just stay here until I fall asleep, talk about stuff? Anything, really. I just don't want to be alone right now, y'know?" Val said uncertainly. 

"Sure," said Tyler. _Gladly. Gosh, she looks so sweet, so vulnerable, I'd do anything to protect her, anything to make her feel better, to just make this go away, to have it never happen. The shock…it scared us all. _Tyler thought. 

They talked small talk for a while, anything at all to keep the silence away. Then they came to a lull in the conversation, a silence. 

"Sing to me." Came the sleepy command from Val.

"What?" asked Tyler confusedly. 

"Sing to me, please." Val said. "I've heard you sing. You have a nice voice. Just sing something. Anything at all."

"Okay, I know the perfect song. It just totally describes how I feel. At least the first verse does." Tyler said, and ever the Lifehouse fan, he began to sing.

"_I'm finding my way back to sanity again" _Tyler sang, and whispered, "I'm so glad you're okay." 

"Though I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there" "Oh yes I do." Tyler said to himself and kissed her.

_"Take a breath and hold on tight,_

_Spin around one more time_

_And gracefully fall back to the arms of grace_

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_

_Even if you don't wanna speak tonight _

_That's alright,_

_Alright with me,_

_'Cause I want nothing more than,_

_Sit outside heaven's door and listen to your breathing_

_Is where I wanna be, yeah" _

_ _

Tyler looked down at the now sleeping Val.

_"Where I wanna be_

_ _

_ _

_I'm looking past the shadows in my mind into the truth," _Tyler recalled when the doctor told him how Val was

"_And I'm_

_Tryin' to identify the voices in my head_

_God which-_

_Won't you let me feel one more time what it_

_Feels like to feel and" _Tyler bent over, paused, and kissed Val on the forehead. 

_"Break these calluses off of me_

_One more time…_

_ _

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_

_Even if you don't wanna speak tonight _

_That's alright,_

_Alright with me,_

_'Cause I want nothing more than_

_To sit outside your door and listen to your breathing_

_Is where I wanna be _

_Yeah_

_ _

_Oh I don't want a thing from you_

_Bet you're tired of me" _Val's sleepy voice contradicted Tyler, "No. I'll never get tired of you. " When Tyler stopped, embarrassed that she had heard- well, he thought she was asleep- she said, "Keep going. I like your voice."

_"Waiting for" _"What?" yelled Jamie from outside. He only heard 'Wait'- so Tyler yelled, "Nothing!" and Jamie left them alone 

"The scraps to fall off of your table to the ground 

_Ladadaladadadalada _

_I just wanna be here now, now_

_ _

_ _

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_

_Even if you don't wanna speak tonight _

_That's alright,_

_Alright with me,_

_'Cause I want nothing more than_

_To sit outside your door and listen to your breathing_

_Is where I wanna be _

_ _

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_

_Even if you don't wanna speak tonight _

_That's alright,_

_Alright with me,_

_'Cause I want nothing more than_

_To sit outside your door and listen to your breathing_

_Is where I wanna be _

_ _

_Where I wanna be_

_ _

_Where I wanna be…" _

_ _

He kissed Val goodnight and left the room.

*********

A/N:I know it's sort of like the one fic by Darkchilde, and I'm sorry, but there's a lot of differences. It's Val and Tyler, and I use the whole song instead of just the chorus, but please don't flame. 

It seems I only have 5 or 6 people who like this and really want me to continue this (Aricraze, Ivy Leaves, twirlgirl04, especially Scarlet182 who put me well over 12 by writing a review for every chapter- thanks!, Darkchilde- I'm not plagiarizing, it's inspiration!, and others). Now I have 24 reviews, and I started with 7 when I wrote that threat. See what empty threats can do? This threat is 

NOT empty- 30 reviews or bust! As in, if I don't get 30 reviews (which means I need 6 more) I don't write any more. 

Answer this- especially Darkchilde- if you've heard it, isn't "Breathing" by Lifehouse (sang by Tyler in this fic) the absolute best song you have ever heard? That's my opinion of it. REVIEW!!! 

_ _

_ _


	9. A Walk

Chapter 9 

Chapter 9 

A/N: This is my longest fic, anywhere, any category. Whoosh. Sorry this took so long. I had a lot of stuff to do over the weekend. I am leaving for summer camp for 3 and a half weeks on July twenty something and I don't get back until sometime in August, so I'll have a lot of fics coming out around the end of August. I am taking notebooks to write in and I plan to write while I'm there. Just so you know, okay? 

Okay, this fic is the collaboration of a million ideas well it's a week and a half and some days have 2 or more chapters and sometimes I run out of ideas. This chapter contains the idea of a short story I was thinking of, the first 2 chapters were the original idea, the whole accident thing is a whole other story, and there are more ideas to come, I'm sure. 

Also, what is with Val's last name? Is it Linear or Lanier because I've seen both in fics but they never spell it on TV? I'm just going with Linear because that's how it sounds on "And The Winner Is…" when the teacher asks Caitie why Val L______ dropped out of the contest. OOKAY now I'll just write the chapter. 

The doorbell of the Linear household rang, shaking Val out of her stupor in front of the TV. 

Val got up and hurried to the door. She opened the door and she was pleasantly surprised that Tyler Connell was at the door. A gust of wind blew through the open door. Val shivered and said, "Come in," through chattering teeth. 

Val had been discharged from the hospital earlier that day, and her mother had made her stay home, even though her EMT squad had a shift that day. In fact, Tyler was still wearing his EMT uniform. 

_My knight in shining EMT jacket, _Val thought. **_Oh, gosh, you're hopeless! _**Thought another voice in her head that Val thought sounded suspiciously like Caitie. 

"Hey, Val." Tyler said. _She doesn't look so good. I hope she's okay, _thought Tyler.

"Hi, Tyler." Val replied. _He looks worried. I wonder what's up? _Val thought. 

"How are you?" Tyler asked. '_If you want to know, ask,' _an echo of Linda Ellerbee on Nick News, years ago, rang through his mind. 

"I have a cold and I'm still sort of shaken up, but I'm pretty okay. How are you?" Val asked. _Is that what he's worried about? Me? **Of course! He's head over heels too! **_Argued Val with herself. 

"Fine. I'd be better if you felt better, but okay. "_Oh, my gosh. Did I just say *that*? I really hope I *didn't* say that! Did I just *say* that? **Yes, you did. **_A second voice chimed in as Tyler turned frantic. _Maybe she'll think it's sweet, not dumb. **Riiight. **_

"Anyway, I was just thinking that if you want tomorrow, I'd walk with you over to the station." He continued. Their shift at the station was 7am to noon. 

"Okay, Tyler that would be great." _That is *so*_ _sweet, _Val thought. 

"Okay_. _See you around 10 to 7?"Tyler asked.

"Yeah. Bye!" Val said.

"Bye." Tyler kissed Val on the cheek and left. 

*******

Val lay on the hospital bed, sneezing wildly. Tyler stood in the doorway of the hospital room, holding up a little bottle of something marked with "VAL'S ALLERGY" in big, bold, bright, capital letters. 

"That's right, Val. I poisoned you. You will die a slow, painful death. Because you sneeze so much, you will eventually die from lack of oxygen. It will be as if you suffocated." 

Val sneezed and sneezed, and tried to control it, and it didn't work. 

_I thought you loved me! And, and now THIS! Why, Tyler, why? I thought you loved me! Or at least we were friends! I thought you loved me! _Val thought and tried to say, but no words could come out. 

_Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? _

_ _

*******

Val woke up sneezing. After blowing her nose, sipping some orange juice and trying not to have a panic attack, Val looked at the clock. It was 1am, and there was no way she'd get back to sleep right away. 

She decided to take a walk. After scribbling a note to her parents explaining about having a nightmare and not being able to sleep. She changed into jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, and her big, huge, fluffy, puffy, warm purple winter coat, and quietly slipped out the door. 

As snow crunched beneath her feet, Val savored the memory of every sweet moment with Tyler since the kiss 2 days ago until the kiss last night, and his sweetness, and wondered about their date. _Where is it? What do I wear? Is it something I'll like? Of course I'll like it, I'll be with Tyler. **Sheesh! You're hopeless! **I know. I wonder what's happening with Caitie and Jamie? Is she still hyper? Wow, it's snowing again… is that some sort of sign or something? Tyler and I kissed when it was snowing… nah probably not. **Oh, you're totally completely head over heels hopelessly falling for him! **I've already fallen. _Val thought and argued with herself. **__**

**_ _**

She was so busy arguing with herself that she didn't notice that she was in the park, and she didn't notice the lone figure sitting on a park bench not too far away. But the lone figure noticed her, and called out to her. 

"Val? Is that you?"Tyler (the lone figure) yelled. Val looked around, confused.

"Tyler?"She asked the air, looking in the wrong direction. 

"Over here, silly," said a voice right behind her and she turned around to face Tyler, and he kissed her on the cheek, and led her over to the park bench. She shivered. "Cold?" Tyler asked. Val nodded, and he put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his arm, suddenly tired.

They sat down on the bench._Is she okay? She seems… upset, different somehow. I can't put my finger on it. It's probably just the cold but… maybe she's sick? No, No, NO, *NO* **NO**_there_ is NO WAY that she can be sick for our date. No. She wouldn't be out here if she were sick… unless she just has a cold and she's going to get sick, but there is NO WAY that she can miss our date. It's going to be so fun, a romantic dinner at a fairly casual restaurant, then a movie… she'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be…_Tyler worried. 

"What's the matter?" asked a worried Tyler.

"I just… I had a nightmare, and I couldn't sleep. It scared me. It hurt me. " Said Val. 

"What happened?" asked Tyler. 

"Well, I was dying of sneezing…or something. And you poisoned me to make me sneeze. " Val said, near tears. She got out a tissue and blew her nose. _Is it tears or a cold or the flu or what? Or am I just being paranoid? Or is it being a caring boyfriend? _Tyler wondered. 

"Sneezing?" Tyler asked.

"I was sneezing in my sleep. My subconscious has issues. I read a book on dream interpreting; my subconscious is just sorting through random stuff from real life.Like the fact that I keep having these sneezing fits. This cold is so annoying! But that isn't the point. " Val said.

"What is the point?" Tyler asked.

"It ultimately conveyed one thing I am afraid of in this relationship: betrayal. Lies. The fact that maybe you're lying, and maybe you don't really like me. It's just stupid insecurities, paranoia, and illegitimate fears. In relationships, everyone is afraid of something. My fears are rejection, betrayal, and generally things associated with not being liked. So, do you honestly like me?" Val asked.

Tyler was shell-shocked and stunned. This was a side of Val that he had never seen. He suspected that hardly anyone else, for that matter, had seen Val's insecure side, with fears as real as everyone else's.He pulled Val into a tight bear hug for a minute, then pulled away and looked her in the eye.

"Valerie Linear, if I didn't love you with all my heart and soul and every fiber of my being, would I ever possibly do this?" Tyler asked and pulled her into a long, hard kiss on the lips. After a few moments, they pulled away. Tyler helped Val off the bench and they headed home. 

*******

Author's note: Okay, I'd have to go all the way through Tuesday if I wanted to continue this and my time is limited so off we go. I hope you liked it. Tomorrow coming… well, probably tomorrow! I'm suffering sap overload, anyone know any humor fics that are good? Review please!!!!! 


	10. Uh-Oh.

Chapter 10-Oh No

Chapter 10-Oh No! 

Author's Note: Okay; now it's Lanier, according to lover-angel who says "I think its Lanier with a pronounced aiii like when you stub your toe." Thank you, lover-angel!I think its Lanier because Linear is already a word (and not a name) and it sound unnatural. 

I don't think I made a threat in the last chapter, considering I posted it and only got like 1 review!!

45 reviews (which means 4 new ones, folks. I'm up to 41) or I will seriously not post the rest of this. I'll send it by email to anyone who gives me his or her email, but if you don't review, you don't read. MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!! :: Cackles evilly::

Here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer- As always, I don't own them, but BE-A-TLE and some others I think were going up to Canada to either steal the boys or make them keep making new episodes… can I come, please?

Val Lanier woke up smiling. She got out of bed and went over to her closet where her EMT uniform was hanging up. Or at least she tried to. 

On the first step, the ground swayed under her, and her smile quickly evaporated when she realized how icky she was feeling.She sat back down on the bed and then, after a few minutes, got back up, gripping tightly to anything stationary for support. But she didn't go to her closet for her uniform. 

Instead, she slowly, painstakingly made her way downstairs. She gripped tightly to the kitchen counter with white knuckles. She let go for a minute and smiled. The dizziness had disappeared. 

She took the thermometer out of the medicine cabinet, pushed the button, and stuck it in her mouth. She took out some instant oatmeal and made it- she had to eat breakfast no matter what, and she wanted something warm. 

The thermometer beeped. _Darn. 99.6! Four stinking points off! _Alex had a rule. EMT's were in short supply, so unless their fever was 100 degrees Fahrenheit, not a point under, they had to go to the station. 

Val ate her oatmeal and walked upstairs. She put on her uniform, put her hair back in a sloppy ponytail, grabbed a box of tissues and the thermometer- _I'm taking my temperature every fifteen minutes, and as soon as I hit 100 I'm going home_, she thought- took a few Tylenol, and sat down on the couch hard to wait for Tyler. 

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang. It woke up the half asleep Val and she grabbed her coat etc and opened the door. 

"Hi Tyler," she said and tried to smile, her voice hoarse. However, Tyler immediately caught on to what was going on.

:"Hey, Val. What's wrong?" He asked, all concern and sweet worry. He felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. _No, no, no, no nonononono! She can't be sick! Tonight's our date! Our very first date!She can't be sick! **She is sick. Face it. **Nooooooooooo! _Tyler thought. 

"I'm sick, Tyler, I'm so sorry. OMG our date! I felt so awful this morning, I totally forgot and…" Val looked up at Tyler sadly and his heart melted. 

"It's okay Val. So how high is your fever?" Tyler asked, knowing full well of Alex's unfair rule. 

"99.6," Val said and sniffled. She took out a tissue and blew her nose. "Talk and walk. We'll be late." she insisted. Tyler slid his arm around her and she leaned her head on it, and they walked to the station. 

"So you're just waiting to hit 100?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah. I have my thermometer and I'm going to be checking my temperature about every 15 minutes. As soon as it reaches 100, I'm out of there." Val said.

"If we don't have a call, I'll walk you home." Tyler said. 

*************

Val and Tyler entered the station, hung up their coats, and Val sat down hard onto the couch next to Hank. 

"What's wrong?" asked Hank.

"I'm sick. 99.6. Forget Alex's stupid rule! I want to go home!" Val said grumpily. 

Hank nodded sympathetically. "I see." he said warily. Today was not the day to get on Val's bad side.

Val put the thermometer in her mouth to take her temperature again.She said, "I'm sorry, I'm just in a bad mood. And I feel really lousy!" She bit her lip, as if trying to hold back tears. 

Hank and Tyler sent each other two looks, the first one questioning and the second one saying, "GIRLS!" accompanied by them rolling their eyes. 

Just then, Brooke arrived for the paperwork, and said, "Hi everyone. Hank, I need your paperwork." Hank groaned, muttered something about it being too early for paperwork, but went to do it. Val stretched out on the couch and was soon asleep. 

"What's wrong with her?" Brooke asked worriedly. 

"Um, flu? I don't know exactly what, but she's sick." Tyler said, frowning.Jamie came in and Brooke demanded his paperwork after telling him about Val. He groaned and grumbled but complied. Brooke left to do her own paperwork, and Tyler spotted Val's math book from 2 days before, and put it into her long-forgotten backpack. 

It had been 20 minutes since they first arrived. Tyler knew Val intended to take her temperature every 15 minutes, so he gently put the thermometer in her mouth and waited for it to beep.

*********

Val woke up to an annoying beep of the thermometer, and felt it slide out of her mouth- strange, she didn't know it was there- and saw Tyler towering above her with an unreadable expression on his face. 

"Tyler?" Val croaked.

Tyler jumped. "Val- I- you- 15 minutes- thermometer- temperature- 101.3 now- sorry- walk you home?" he stuttered but somehow Val understood. It had been 15 minutes, and Tyler thought she'd want to check, but she was asleep so he checked for her, and now it was 101.3, so she could leave, and he wanted to walk her home. And frankly, Val wanted the company. 

"Gotcha. I understand. Let me get my coat and stuff?" She asked. Tyler held out her coat and backpack from days before. "I was wondering what happened to that!" She smiled. 

******

"Thanks for walking me- ACHOO!" Val sneezed and blew her nose in the middle of her sentence. "Thanks for walking me home Tyler." She said and rolled her eyes. 

"No problem Val. Anytime. If you want, I'll come over when the shift is done and see how you're doing." Tyler said. 

Val nodded and went inside. 

She changed into her pajamas, buried herself under 3 feet of blankets, and fell asleep. 

*****

Authors Note Again: It's over. At least this chapter is over. It took like 2 days to write, which is long for me. 


	11. Conversations

Author's Note: Why didn't anybody review my short little pointless semi-sappy/fluffy story

Author's Note: Why didn't anybody review my short little pointless semi-sappy/fluffy story? I'm upset. Only Scarlet182…. thank you oh so very much. 

This is for Mad Cow and all Kleenexes reading this. Thank you, Mad Cow, if you're reading this, for teaching me about Pretty Perfects, Bleacher Junkies, Mini-Me's, and Kleenexes. 

The second part of the chapter is for Bleacher Junkies. 

SAP ALERT! SAP ALERT! 

You have been warned. 

I recommend waffles.

Also, let's just say that Christmas is Friday, and New Year's is a week after that, and they go back to school the Wednesday after that, even though schools (at least mine) don't give students that much time off. 

Disclaimer- don't own squat. 

Chapter 11- Meanwhile… 

Meanwhile, when Tyler was walking Val home, and after he got back…

Hank sat at the desk doing paperwork. 2 more pages and he'd be done at last. Finally!

He had already done 8 pages! Hank hated paperwork, almost as much as he hated inventory, which was what Jamie was stuck doing.

He was halfway down the last page when he heard the door shut. He heard Tyler come in and sit down on the couch with a sigh. 

Hank heard the TV turn on. A second later, the TV turned off. The couch squeaked as Tyler stood up. Hank heard Tyler's footsteps come his direction, and then they turned around and go the other way. 

Hank sighed. He'd never be able to do paperwork with all this distraction, and Tyler was obviously upset. _Maybe if I talked to him, he'd feel better. Or at least I could provide a distraction and stop him from worrying for 5 minutes or so, _Hank reasoned. He gave one last look at the paperwork, and went into the common room. 

"Hey Tyler." Hank said. Tyler looked up like a deer caught in the headlights and smiled sheepishly. 

"Oh, hi Hank." Tyler said. 

"What's up?" Hank asked, playing dumb. 

"Nothing, I'm just a little… worried about Val is all." Tyler said sheepishly. 

"Oh. I'm sure she'll be okay. I was sort of paying attention to her symptoms, and it looks like the flu to me… and it's flu season, so it's normal… and she's already had it once or twice, so it could just be a relapse from working too strenuously… Didn't she have it, I don't know, around a week and a half ago?" Hank said, trying to be reassuring. 

"Yeah. A week and a half ago, she had it. That's what makes me worried. Her immune system may be weaker." Tyler said worriedly. _Brilliant, Hank! You're not doing a very good job of reassuring him or taking his mind off Val, _Hank thought, berating himself for not being able to accomplish his purpose. He mentally smacked himself on the head. 

"You know Val. She's strong. She'll pull through it." Hank said in a tone of voice that was supposed to be reassuring, although Hank speculated that hardly anything could reassure Tyler at this point. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're probably right," Tyler said, sounding sad, worried, unconvinced, and far from reassured.

"I've got to go finish paperwork, and Jamie's doing inventory." Hank said. 

"Poor Jamie," said Tyler as Hank left. 

"Poor Jamie what?" Jamie asked as he entered the room. 

"Hank said you were doing inventory." Tyler said.

"Oh, yeah, inventory. Yuck." Jamie said half-heartedly. 

Tyler raised his eyes suspiciously but said nothing. 

As Tyler turned on the TV, Jamie remembered what he was really doing…

**Begin memory/flashback thing**

Jamie used the phone directly outside the garage to call Caitie. He had just wanted to talk, so they talked about their date. 

"Hi, Caitie… about our date… I mean, if you still want to go…" Jamie started.

"Duh! Of course I want to go." Caitie replied.

"Hey Caitie? Don't say duh. You're starting to sound like a cheerleader." Jamie said and made a face."Anyway, what do you want to do?" Jamie asked before Caitie could say anything.

"I don't know. Maybe we could go out for pizza?" Caitie suggested. 

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 7." Jamie said, trying to take charge like a 'real man' (AN: little air quotes^_^) but not doing a very good job.

"On the motorcycle?" Caitie said excitedly. 

"Yes." Jamie said, trying to be in control once again.

"Yay!" Caitie squealed.

"Caitie?" Jamie said. 

"Yeah?" Caitie asked.

"You're starting to sound like Val and it's scaring me. Please stop squealing and saying duh? Who are you and what have you done with Caitie's sarcasm?" Jamie asked. 

"Whatever." Caitie said.Jamie gave a mock gasp. "Shut up. Talk to you later." Caitie said.

"Bye," said Jamie.

**end flashback**

Jamie was jolted out of his memory by the bell ringing. They had a call. They had several calls in a row, and then their shift was over. 

***

Author's Note: Yes. This chapter is over. I didn't post it because when I finished, I only had 2 new reviews from this and the last chapter put together. That's one apiece. Come on, people. If I don't get 50 (5 new ones), this fic- :: makes slashing motion with her hand across her throat (as in, it dies. Stops.):: 

Capeesh? (I don't know how to spell that) 


	12. Um...Untitled?

Author's Note: Cheese

Author's Note: Cheese! It's chapter 12 already! Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Um, this is a chapter basically filled with sap. Tyler visits Val. Val goes to the doctor. Not much else happens.Sorry it took so long… curse of the writer's block! It's spreading! 

This chapter is sort of choppy, but it's a lot of flashing to different scenes because I want to get this done and it saves time to have the little stars instead of saying, "He went here, she went there," etc.

Thanks to Team Omega for suffering through a romance fic. Wow. I feel so special (and that was sincere, not sarcastic). This is also supposed to be funny too so just… ignore the romance… I guess… 

I will overcome my writer's block. I have it. It's like a disease. I'm drinking deranged iced tea, LoL, to anyone who read that one by me. 

Also, I have no idea if any of the medical stuff is at all accurate; so don't sue me if it isn't. I just adjusted the amount of days to what it needed to be for the story to work- if that made any sense.

SAP ALERT! SAP ALERT! 

You have been warned. 

I recommend waffles. 

As always:

I don't own the characters,

Or a single lyric,

Don't sue me- I'm broke,

Just R'n'R my fic!

Chapter 12 

_Yes! Our shift is finally over! Now I can go see how Val's doing! _Tyler thought once their shift was over. 

He grabbed his coat and practically ran all the way to Val's house. He breathlessly rang the doorbell only to be met by Brooke saying that Val was asleep. 

"Will you tell her I was here?" Tyler asked. 

"Sure," Brooke replied but Tyler was already walking slowly and worriedly away from Val's house. He couldn't stand it. 

***

"Hey Brooke? Who was at the door?" A sleepy Val asked Brooke when she came up to Val's room. 

"Tyler." Brooke said. "He'll probably come back later," Brooke said, but the words fell on deaf ears. Val was already asleep again. 

***

Tyler meandered around town aimlessly, song lyrics playing through his head.

_"I've tried to find myself an approval_

_I've already been there_

_Already done that_

It got me nowhere 

_It brought me nothing"_

He knew that it had some sort of connection to the way he was feeling, but he couldn't quite place the relation the Lifehouse lyrics had to his feelings. 

_"Here I am_

So alone

_And there's nothing in this world I can do_

_Until you're back here baby_

_Miss you want you need you so_

_Until you're back here baby, yeah"_

_ _

BBMak wasn't the kind of thing he normally listened to, but he heard it somewhere, and now it seemed permanently glued to his mind. It was exactly how he felt about Val right now at this current moment in time. 

He realized he was at the park where they had met… oh, was it just last night? After relishing the memory a moment, he turned and headed for home.

***

"Val, wake up," Val woke up to her mother's nudging. "You have to go to the doctor." 

Val threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and followed her mother out to the car without saying a word. 

***

"You have the flu," the doctor stated. "Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and-" 

"I know. I'm an EMT. Get rest, drink fluids, etc." Val stated. She was tired, and wanted to crawl under her covers and never come out. 

"Okay, this will probably be gone by Friday or Saturday." the doctor said and Val and her mother were out of there. 

***

"Hello. This is Tyler Connell. Is Val there?" Tyler asked the hoarse voice on the other end of the phone. 

"It's me, Tyler." Val said. 

"So? Did you go to the doctor? What is it?" Tyler asked anxiously. 

"Yes, I went to the doctor, and he said I have the flu, and I'll be better Friday or Saturday. So, let's reschedule our date for Sunday?" Val asked. 

"Um, okay, I guess. What do you want to do for the date?" Tyler asked. 

"Surprise me," Val stated simply. 

  
"Okay, pick you up at 7, I guess." Tyler said and hung up. Val needed her rest.

Oh, did he have an idea in mind! It was new, it was different, it was… double. He and Jamie had plotted it at the station while Val wasn't there. They were going out to an under-21 club. It was mostly Jamie's idea, and it took a lot of convincing for Tyler to agree.

Tyler smiled, then sighed, and got started on what little homework they had over winter break. Math. It really wasn't that bad. 

***

Author's Note: Okay. It's over. It sucked, but it's over. I have major writer's block on this. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the heat. It's happening to all my stories in Animorphs, and now it's spreading. I'll get several chapters into a story and, BOOM! I suddenly lose the spark. It used to be that I couldn't type fast enough to get my words out onto the computer, and now… I don't have any ideas. Fanfiction.net is being stupid again, so I'm going to go write the next chapter of this, then try to work on some of my Animorphs stories, plus I got an idea for a weird little Mini-Me story, sparked by a word in "Real World 2". 

Deranged iced tea is good for my creative abilities, I guess. 


	13. A Date, Rudolph, and Other Weird Stuff

Author's Note: Um

Author's Note: Um. It's Jamie and Caitie's date, folks. This is it. More Jamie and Caitie for all of you. This will probably be one of the only J/C chapters and of course there'll be some V/T. Unlucky chapter 13. 

Here it is, whoopee!

A chapter with J/C!

But of course there's V/T!

If not, it wouldn't be by me!

I do not own a thing,

Now on with the story!

Stupid, stupid, I know. But can you blame me? ::hiccup:: I made cookies and drank too much milk too fast. ::hiccup:: And now I'm hyper. Hence the scary music. 

Chapter 13 

It was Wednesday, and the super squad minus Val (Tyler was painfully aware of that part) was at the station on call.Tyler paced. Jamie paced. Hank stared at the TV, totally oblivious. 

Brooke ran in through the door of the EMS station. "Sorry I'm late, guys." She got no response. "Guys?" she tried again, staring at Jamie and Tyler.

"Oh, hi Brooke." said Hank. He turned his head to see what Brooke was staring at. "Chill guys, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet." Brooke said. 

"Oh, hi Brooke." said Jamie distantly. Brooke noticed that he sounded preoccupied, but remembered Val saying something about Caitie and Jamie having a date, and chalked it up to nerves. 

"What?" a startled Tyler asked, but choked up when he saw it was Brooke, who reminded him of Val. "How's Val doing?" Tyler managed to choke out. 

"Better. I think she'd love it if you visited her. She was complaining bitterly about math homework last night." Brooke said with an exaggerated wink and grin at Hank, causing him, as well as Jamie and even Tyler, to a certain degree, to chuckle and stop pacing for the time being. "Now, it's time for paperwork!" Brooke said in a fake-excited singsong voice. 

Brooke went into the office and emerged a few moments later with a large stack of paperwork. 

"Here's some for you, and some for you, and some for you," Brooke said a little too cheerfully, handing a generous amount to Hank, a little less for Jamie, and somewhere in between for Tyler.Brooke went back into the office to organize, shuffle, and sort papers, file folders, pens and pencils, etc. 

_ _

_It's just pizza, it's just pizza, it's just pizza, _thought Jamie. _It'll be fine. _

_ _

_It's just the flu, it's just the flu, it's just the flu, _thought Tyler. _She'll be fine. _

_ _

_Patient name- Mrs. Janie Johnson, _thought Hank. _Treatment administered…_

_ _

_Where's that stupid paper? I wonder how Val is doing. Where's that stupid paper again? _Brooke thought in the office. 

As you may have guessed, Hank was the only one actually totally concentrated on the paperwork. 

Just then the alarm sounded, leaving Brooke to paperwork and the super squad (minus Val) to saving lives. The squad ended up saving lives, call after call, until their shift was over. 

* * *

Tyler entered Val's room and sat down on the edge of her bed. He surveyed the room, the trash can full of dirty tissues, the tissues and orange juice on the bedside table… the ::scary music plays:: MATH HOMEWORK ::dun dun dun!:: 

"Hey Rudolph." Tyler said in response to Val's red nose. Val looked up from the book she was reading and groaned.

"Tyyy-lerrr!" She whined. Yes, Val the overachiever was capable of whining… but only when she was really really… upset, for lack of better word. Tyler winced, and instantly turned serious. 

"Sorry. Seriously," he said, "You don't look so good. How are you feeling?" 

"Gee thanks." Val said sarcastically. Yes, Val the overachiever was capable of being sarcastic… but only when she was really upset. "How do I feel? I feel as bad as I probably look. And I'm tired. And I'm bored. I've been reading in effort to stay awake so I'd get to see you. " Tyler was touched. Truly touched. He gave Val a sort of sideways hug to try and express his gratitude, and Val automatically leaned sort of sideways so her head was on his chest. "Sorry." she mumbled. "I'm just so tired." 

"It's okay Val. You need your sleep. Just sleep." He said soothingly. 

"Okay. I love you Tyler." Val said quietly as she drifted off to sleep. 

"I love you too Val." Tyler replied equally quietly. He stroked her hair for a moment, then slowly eased her head onto the pillow and left the room.

* * *

"Hey Caitie," Jamie began nervously. "I had a great time tonight." Standing on Caitie's porch and stopping to reflect, Jamie knew that it was definitely a true statement. It had been great. They had just made small talk and enjoyed each others' company. It was hardly different, except part of the stress of trying to keep their feelings for one another was not there. If Jamie wanted to kiss Caitie, he could just do it. "So, uh, do you want to go on another date? Like, Sunday?" He had talked to Tyler earlier, the other day and they were going to go to one of those under 21 clubs on a double date. The only catch was that he had to convince Caitie. But he suspected that it wasn't going to be that hard. He suspected wrong. 

"Um… What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could go on a double date with Val and Tyler, maybe to one of those under 21 clubs?" Jamie said smoothly, thinking everything was going as planned.

"Are you kidding!?" Caitie shrieked. "Does Val know about this? I don't even like those places! I went once, it was a nightmare! And I'm sure Val would never go! Her parents would have a fit if they found out! No, no, and no!" Caitie said.

"Okay. Okay. We won't go. We'll go out for dinner again. Tyler and I will decide on a restaurant and surprise you girls." Jamie consented. Man, how would he explain this to Tyler? Oh, well. 

"Okay, sounds like fun." Caitie said again, instantly sweet and sugary, but a little sour. Exactly Caitie. 

Then Jamie realized that they were standing close. Oh, so close. So close that Jamie wanted to kiss her. So he did. 

"I had a great time tonight. Call me tomorrow?" Caitie asked. 

"Okay. Yeah I'll call. I had a great time too. Yeah. " Jamie gulped. "Love you," his voice came out as barely a whisper. 

"Love you too." Caitie said as Jamie walked down the sidewalk, got on his motorcycle and sped out into the dark starry night. 

***

Author's note: Spacing is weird. Word is weird. 

I just got back from watching "Hero." Great Caitie/Jamie, with Caitie getting all jealous. Nice T/V too, especially at the end. 

"At least some of us looked good," (Val- probably referring to Tyler)

"Yeah Val, you looked great. I looked like a grinning monkey" (Tyler)

And when Val was congratulating Hank on that call with that Donna person- was it just me, or did Tyler look _really_ and I mean _really_ jealous? REVIEW!!! 

Note to Aricraze- Thanks for reviews #59 and 60! 

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED AND WILL REVIEW

Note to Islandgurl- If you read this, go back to where Caitie says about having a good time tonight. I actually had in there originally, **"Jamie, I want you to know I find you very, very attractive," Caitie said in a fake country accent.** but then I changed it. LoL. REVIEW!! 


	14. Girl Power, Phone Conversations, Etc.

Author's Note: Blank pages are very intimidating

Author's Note: Blank pages are very intimidating. Wow. 14 already. By the time this is over, it's going to be too many chapters for my own good. Wow. So let's see, where I left it… okay, Val fell asleep, Caitie yelled at Jamie, and Hank was the only one who actually did paperwork. ::sings "Only One" by Lifehouse:: ::stops singing:: okay, I'll stop writing the author's note and just write. But first, the disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! ANYTHING AT ALL! 

Just read it.

CHAPTER 14 

**RING RING**

**RING RING**

**RING-

"Hello?" Tyler asked into the phone. 

"Hi. Is Tyler there? This is Jamie Waite." Jamie said, sounding very fancy and proper and not at all like himself. He'd never called Tyler before and he didn't know what William the Evil Stepfather was like in reality-Jamie was sure he wasn't as evil as Tyler said, but you never know…

"It's me. What's up Jamie? How was the big date?" Tyler asked. Jamie sighed.

"The date was…" Jamie paused when he realized that he would sound very corny if he said 'the date was great' "…awesome." He settled on. "But, I was talking to Caitie about the club thing… and…" Jamie paused.

"And what?" Tyler asked. 

"When I asked, Caitie practically had a cow. She-"

"Had a cow?" Tyler asked incredulously. 

"It's my mom's favorite saying. She was upset. Absolutely hysterical. She was lecturing me about if Val knew and Val would never want to go and even if Val did want to go Caitie didn't so we weren't going." 

Tyler chuckled, then asked, "So what are we going to do?" 

"I told Caitie that we'd pick a restaurant and surprise the Val and her. 

"Cool. That sounds good." Tyler said agreeably. 

"So how's Val?" Jamie asked. 

Tyler groaned inwardly. He had worried all day. He didn't need to worry more. Jamie noticed his hesitation and also groaned inwardly. He realized that that was the wrong thing to say.

"She was basically miserable, but she'll be okay," Tyler said, trying to convince himself as well as Jamie. "She said she was miserable, she looked miserable. She even whined. She was sarcastic." Tyler could practically hear Jamie's eyebrows raise. 

"That doesn't sound like the Val we all know-…" Jamie said. He was about to say 'we all know and love,' but with Tyler, that would be the wrong thing to say. 

"So… what restaurant?" Jamie asked, trying to change the subject. 

"I don't know. How about Chinese?" Tyler suggested.

"That works." Jamie said. "Bye."

"Bye." Tyler echoed and hung up. 

* * *

Val looked out of her window at the gently falling snow and wished for the millionth time that she wasn't sick- that she was with Tyler, or at the park, in the middle of the snow that was falling, or a thousand different places- anywhere but where she was, on her bed, miserably staring out the window. She sighed, picked up her book, and read some more. 

* * *

Tyler hurried along the soon-to-be-snow-covered streets of Kingsport. Snow was falling, and he was hurrying to Val's house to say hi before his shift in half an hour. He briefly remembered that, oh yeah, it was his turn to do inventory, oh joy! Then his thoughts returned to Val, and he quickened his pace and kept going. 

* * *

**DINGDONG**

**CREEEAK**

"Hey Tyler. Val's in her room," Brooke said upon opening the door. 

"Thanks, Brooke," Tyler said and went inside. 

"Hey Val." Tyler said. 

"Hi," Val said quietly. 

"How are you?" Tyler asked. 

"Same," Val said quietly. Tyler became worried- Val was hardly talking at all. He started frowning subconsciously. "What's the matter?" Val asked concernedly. 

"Nothing. I'm just worried about you." Tyler said, still frowning.

"I'm going to be fine. Stop worrying." Val scolded. She looked at the clock pointedly then said, "Hey, when's your shift?" 

"In…" Tyler looked at his watch, "Oh shoot ten minutes I'm going to be late gotta go bye sorry get well soon!" He exclaimed and ran out the door before Val could say anything. 

"Bye," Val said lamely to empty air. She sighed and turned back to her reading. 

"Tyler where are you going?" Brooke asked as Tyler came running from their room. 

"I'm going to be late for my shift!" He exclaimed and ran out the door. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Note: Here's chapter 14. Review. Yes, short, I know. But really, there's not much to say for the rest of the week. Friday is Christmas, but they're all just going to stay at home with their families, blah blah blah, Saturday, not much, SKIP TO SUNDAY! YAY! DATES!! Yes I know Tyler probably has a car but guess what? I DON'T CARE! 

I'll have a little "time passes blah, blah, blah etc" blurb at the beginning of the next chapter. 


	15. The End

Author's Note: I'm trying a different take on this chapter Fritz Kriete Fritz Kriete 2 267 2001-11-10T17:49:00Z 2001-11-10T17:49:00Z 3 716 4085 34 8 5016 9.3821 6 pt 6 pt 0 Author's Note: I'm trying a different take on this chapter. I'm trying to make it a little more dramatic and a little more suspenseful and a little less… um… sappy. Yeah. That's the word. Um, so, read, review, and be happy! 

Disclaimer: I don't own IaHb, or anything IaHb related, or "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm- they're pretty cool. 

This is dedicated to Scarlet182, who reviewed chapter 14 and was one of the only people who did, and to Arcadia, who was the only other person who reviewed chapter 14, and who also took the time to review each chapter. Thank you so much. I LIVE for reviews.

Special thanks to Montana Magic who reviewed about a month ago, and wrote really at LEAST fifty times (that's what it looked like- you expect me to COUNT?)!!! I'm writing this because of one thing in that review-"why didn't you finish yet?" Thank you so much for getting me to come back to this… This will probably be the end.  

Winter Break 

Chapter 15- Dates and Val's 'Punk Side'

The next few days passed as normal. Tyler worried about Val, Val improved, Brooke did paperwork, Jamie worried about the date, Tyler worried about the date, Caitie worried about the date, Val worried about the date, and Hank… well, Hank just stayed pretty much oblivious.

And so Sunday snuck up on our favorite teens (and pre-teen). 

* * *

By Sunday morning, Val was completely better. 

A uniformed Val strolled into the kitchen around nine. "Hey Mom, I'm going to the station," she said. 

She was halfway out the door when, "Oh no you are not! Back to bed!" Val's mom said. **__**

"But Mom! I'm all better!" Val insisted. 

"Back to bed. Tomorrow you can go to the station." 

Val went back to her room and changed out of her uniform into regular clothes. She sat down and turned on the TV- they had moved into Val's room- onto MTV and watched. 

"…You okay, you okay, you okay, you've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal..." 

And that was how Tyler found Val about an hour later. Sitting on her bed in normal clothes, singing along to Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal" and shaking her head to the rhythm. Who knew Val had a punk side? 

"Hi Val," Tyler said quietly. Val's head snapped up and she blushed, embarrassed. "I didn't know you had a punk side." Tyler said, motioning to the TV screen showing guys in a wrestling ring thing with guitars and drums.

"I don't really," she said, "I enjoy it sometimes- like when I'm really _really_ **_really really_** bored. And I'm all better, and my mother won't let me out of the house. " 

"Oh, okay," said Tyler, sounding relieved. _Probably for more reasons than one, _Val thought. "So you're all better." he repeated, sounding slightly ecstatic. "Are you sure?" He then asked suspiciously. "Let me feel your forehead." 

Val was touched that he was being so caring. After he felt her forehead, he gave her a huge hug. 

Sunday afternoon found Caitie in the Lanier house- specifically the girls' bedroom, with Val, who now felt much better.

"It's, 'Do you feel okay?" and 'Are you sure you're okay' and 'Can I come see you?" like all the time and he knows I'm perfectly fine because he came earlier and… Gosh, Caitie, it's like he's stalking me!" Val ranted.

The young brunette snorted softly. "And you call me a drama queen." She muttered under her breath. 

"What?" Val asked. When Caitie shook her head, Val continued ranting. "He calls like every fifteen or twenty minutes, and it's driving me nuts! I mean, I like him and all, I love him even, but gosh, he's just getting annoying!"

"Maybe I'm just totally ignorant in overachiever society matters, but isn't that what happens when you've been sick for the past, what, like, week?" Caitie said. 

"Well, yeah but…" 

"Why don't you just tell him to bug off?" 

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"I just can't!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

"Because I just, I just can't!" Val exploded. Then, changing the subject, "What do you think of this skirt?"

* * *

***After winter break, in school***

"Well, that was certainly an… interesting… winter break, wasn't it?" Caitie asked Val on the way to class. 

"Yup… as this character said in this one book I read a long time ago, 'That was fun. Let's never, ever do it again.' " 

* * * 

Author's note: Thanks again to Montana Magic. It needed closure. I wasn't going to go into mushy details because I think I've forgotten how to write mushy sap. Val's quote was Marco from Animorphs. 

I let the fic drag on to long, as I'm letting this author's note. I want to apologize for not ending it sooner. A quality of a good author, at least as I see it, is that they end a story while it's still in demand, but without leaving anything out; they still allow the reader to make up a further ending. If necessary, the author can provide a sequel. I still haven't mastered that technique yet, as it is shown right here in this fic. Please forgive me.

Writing this fic was fun. I'm never going to let a story drag on this long again. 


End file.
